PhoneLeash

Privacy Policy

This policy covers PhoneLeash for Android and PhoneLeash for iPhone. Some features are available only on one platform; where that is the case, it is called out below.

What we forward

PhoneLeash is a message-forwarding utility. When an incoming message arrives on your phone, PhoneLeash sends it to the destination you have chosen (an email address, or on Android, another phone). Messages pass through PhoneLeash's backend servers only as long as needed to deliver them.

Android: SMS, MMS (text and attachments), and notifications from supported messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

iPhone: SMS text content only. iOS does not give third-party apps access to message attachments, so attachments are flagged in the forwarded email but the media itself is not forwarded.

We do not permanently store the content of your messages. The most recent message body for each device is briefly retained on its backend record for duplicate detection, and is overwritten with each subsequent message.

Call notifications (Android only)

You can optionally have PhoneLeash send you notifications about incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. This information is sent through the cloud the same way as messages. iOS does not give third-party apps the call event data needed for this feature.

Reply by email (Android only)

If you forward to an email destination and reply via email, your reply is delivered through PhoneLeash's backend to your phone, which sends it as an outgoing SMS. Replies in transit are stored for up to 30 minutes. iOS cannot programmatically send outgoing SMS, so the iPhone app does not support this feature.

Install-time notification (Android only)

On Android installation, the phone owner's name and primary email address are read and used to send them a one-time message informing them that PhoneLeash has been installed on their device. This discourages misuse of PhoneLeash as covert surveillance software. The iPhone app does not perform this step because iOS does not expose owner identity information to apps.

Device metadata

To operate the service and assist with support, PhoneLeash collects:

  • A randomly generated device identifier (UUID on iOS, an internal identifier on Android)
  • Device model, OS version, app version
  • Approximate region (country code derived from your device locale or carrier)
  • Android only: phone number and cellular operator name — iOS does not expose these to apps without special entitlements PhoneLeash does not request

Contacts (optional, both platforms)

PhoneLeash can optionally read your contacts on-device to label forwarded messages with the sender's contact name in addition to their phone number. If you decline this permission, forwarded messages show only the sender's number; everything else continues to work. Your contact list never leaves your device.

Subscription billing

iPhone: Subscriptions are processed through Apple In-App Purchase (StoreKit). Apple handles payment, billing, renewal, and storage of payment information. PhoneLeash receives only the transaction identifier and entitlement status from Apple — no payment card details. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.

Android and website: Subscriptions are processed through Stripe. Stripe handles payment, billing, renewal, and storage of payment information. PhoneLeash receives only the subscription identifier and email address used at checkout.

What we don't do

  • No advertising. PhoneLeash does not display ads of any kind.
  • No data resale. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties.
  • No third-party analytics SDK is bundled in the iPhone app. The Android app uses Firebase Analytics for app-event metrics (app open, setup completed, and similar) that do not include message content.
  • No permanent retention of message bodies.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact us at support@phone-leash.com.